Anonymous wrote:I asked a Cambodian the same thing when I heard about the Killing Fields. How could a whole nation allow itself to be massacred without fighting back? He blamed it on conditioning and subversion and mistrust of his neighbours.

Which is why Singaporeans would make excellent concentration camp guards...

Anonymous wrote:I asked a Cambodian the same thing when I heard about the Killing Fields. How could a whole nation allow itself to be massacred without fighting back? He blamed it on conditioning and subversion and mistrust of his neighbours.

Which is why Singaporeans would make excellent concentration camp guards...

God, JP your comment made the hairs on my hand stand... it is so frighteningly true. I've witnessed a similar situation in a bus, except it was verbal abuse on a foreign worker. I stepped up to the driver and gave him a piece of my mind. On another occasion i was the brunt of the abuse just for asking if i was on the right bus!!

I asked a Cambodian the same thing when I heard about the Killing Fields. How could a whole nation allow itself to be massacred without fighting back? He blamed it on conditioning and subversion and mistrust of his neighbours.

Nothing went wrong in his mind.Because he hadn't any idea what went wrong?He was just too lost and shocked at the assailant's sudden attacks.
We came from different backgrounds and educations have played a big part to our lifes.Thus,i can understand,being low educated and as a soul bread of the family back in his country home,he has always aware NOT to create troubles and to live carefully in a foreign land.
Try,provoke one well educated or with good background.....you might receive a court case.
Well.....that's the differences.Fortunate aren't we?

Over the eyars that I have lived in Singapore I have seen a lot of mistreatment of foreign workers - particulayr maids. This mistreatment being psycholgical and not physicl in nature (just as bad or worse maybe).

It seems to me that Singaporeans have a lot of pent up energy and no release for it and they turn on those they think they can get away with it on. This goes for white collar workers as well when sacrificial ang mos are used to take the blame or abuse from a client.

Once again thanks for the post.

What do you expect? Of course we have a lot of 'pent up' energy to release on someone who is weaker and poorer and shabbily dressed on our buses. Have you ever wondered why though? Let me tell you why!
We have no constructive role to play in our political system like the citizens of other countries. We are brainwashed and spoonfed right from the very moment we are born into believing that our nation state is the best in the world and we don't need to use our intellectual abilities to participate in anyway or form when it comes to decision making which can have global or domestic consequences. Our job as Singaporeans is to master every single printed word at school, college or if you are lucky enough to make it to the uni by rote......so we don't need to apply any common sense or thinking to what we are studying. Learing is not an objective only gaining a qualification on a piece of paper is all that counts.Add to all this the fact we have to be stuck in for the rest of our lives in high rise flats most commonly known as the HDBs. What do you think this brick and mortar does to people's state of minds? Do you not think we need something more insipirational surrounding us so we can have a little window to peep through for a little bit of day dreaming? Our world is so hard (concrete jungle) and harsh and the city of Singapore which looks more like a burial ground full of tombstones than a thriving green city is nothing more than a health hazard. There should be a government health warning saying living in Singapore can seriously harm your health particulary your mental health.

oystereggs wrote:We have no constructive role to play in our political system like the citizens of other countries. We are brainwashed and spoonfed right from the very moment we are born into believing that our nation state is the best in the world and we don't need to use our intellectual abilities to participate in anyway or form when it comes to decision making which can have global or domestic consequences. Our job as Singaporeans is to master every single printed word at school, college or if you are lucky enough to make it to the uni by rote......so we don't need to apply any common sense or thinking to what we are studying. Learing is not an objective only gaining a qualification on a piece of paper is all that counts.Add to all this the fact we have to be stuck in for the rest of our lives in high rise flats most commonly known as the HDBs.

Agreed. But it is changing slowly. As more get overseas educations and return they are not satisfied with the status quo. Change is looming on the horizon. ...........

oystereggs wrote:
Add to all this the fact we have to be stuck in for the rest of our lives in high rise flats most commonly known as the HDBs. What do you think this brick and mortar does to people's state of minds?

There is certainly some truth in this statemen and it is not least the reason tower blocks are no longer built in the UK. In fact where possible they are being demolished and that has been the situation for several years now.

However, assualts where nobody intervenes to aid the victim are still too common, the reasons are too varied to attribute simply to pent up energy.

oystereggs wrote:
Add to all this the fact we have to be stuck in for the rest of our lives in high rise flats most commonly known as the HDBs. What do you think this brick and mortar does to people's state of minds?

24/7? Why? What have you done?
I don't know what it does to people's mind. I don't live in a HDB.
Must be the reason why I don't whine, blame, groan and moan that much.

Over the eyars that I have lived in Singapore I have seen a lot of mistreatment of foreign workers - particulayr maids. This mistreatment being psycholgical and not physicl in nature (just as bad or worse maybe).

It seems to me that Singaporeans have a lot of pent up energy and no release for it and they turn on those they think they can get away with it on. This goes for white collar workers as well when sacrificial ang mos are used to take the blame or abuse from a client.

Once again thanks for the post.

What do you expect? Of course we have a lot of 'pent up' energy to release on someone who is weaker and poorer and shabbily dressed on our buses. Have you ever wondered why though? Let me tell you why!
We have no constructive role to play in our political system like the citizens of other countries. We are brainwashed and spoonfed right from the very moment we are born into believing that our nation state is the best in the world and we don't need to use our intellectual abilities to participate in anyway or form when it comes to decision making which can have global or domestic consequences. Our job as Singaporeans is to master every single printed word at school, college or if you are lucky enough to make it to the uni by rote......so we don't need to apply any common sense or thinking to what we are studying. Learing is not an objective only gaining a qualification on a piece of paper is all that counts.Add to all this the fact we have to be stuck in for the rest of our lives in high rise flats most commonly known as the HDBs. What do you think this brick and mortar does to people's state of minds? Do you not think we need something more insipirational surrounding us so we can have a little window to peep through for a little bit of day dreaming? Our world is so hard (concrete jungle) and harsh and the city of Singapore which looks more like a burial ground full of tombstones than a thriving green city is nothing more than a health hazard. There should be a government health warning saying living in Singapore can seriously harm your health particulary your mental health.

[quote]What do you expect? Of course we have a lot of 'pent up' energy to release on someone who is weaker and poorer and shabbily dressed on our buses. Have you ever wondered why though? Let me tell you why!
We have no constructive role to play in our political system like the citizens of other countries. We are brainwashed and spoonfed right from the very moment we are born into believing that our nation state is the best in the world and we don't need to use our intellectual abilities to participate in anyway or form when it comes to decision making which can have global or domestic consequences. Our job as Singaporeans is to master every single printed word at school, college or if you are lucky enough to make it to the uni by rote......so we don't need to apply any common sense or thinking to what we are studying. Learing is not an objective only gaining a qualification on a piece of paper is all that counts.Add to all this the fact we have to be stuck in for the rest of our lives in high rise flats most commonly known as the HDBs. What do you think this brick and mortar does to people's state of minds? Do you not think we need something more insipirational surrounding us so we can have a little window to peep through for a little bit of day dreaming? Our world is so hard (concrete jungle) and harsh and the city of Singapore which looks more like a burial ground full of tombstones than a thriving green city is nothing more than a health hazard. There should be a government health warning saying living in Singapore can seriously harm your health particulary your mental health.[/quote]

Can't you do something abou this? Day dreaming does not cost much.

There is a nice place where I normally go and day dream to escape life's harsh experiences. I take my car there and have a couple of beers and day dream till all the boats have retuned. I can tell you where this place is in my next post if you like.

Over the eyars that I have lived in Singapore I have seen a lot of mistreatment of foreign workers - particulayr maids. This mistreatment being psycholgical and not physicl in nature (just as bad or worse maybe).

It seems to me that Singaporeans have a lot of pent up energy and no release for it and they turn on those they think they can get away with it on. This goes for white collar workers as well when sacrificial ang mos are used to take the blame or abuse from a client.

Once again thanks for the post.

What do you expect? Of course we have a lot of 'pent up' energy to release on someone who is weaker and poorer and shabbily dressed on our buses. Have you ever wondered why though? Let me tell you why!
We have no constructive role to play in our political system like the citizens of other countries. We are brainwashed and spoonfed right from the very moment we are born into believing that our nation state is the best in the world and we don't need to use our intellectual abilities to participate in anyway or form when it comes to decision making which can have global or domestic consequences. Our job as Singaporeans is to master every single printed word at school, college or if you are lucky enough to make it to the uni by rote......so we don't need to apply any common sense or thinking to what we are studying. Learing is not an objective only gaining a qualification on a piece of paper is all that counts.Add to all this the fact we have to be stuck in for the rest of our lives in high rise flats most commonly known as the HDBs. What do you think this brick and mortar does to people's state of minds? Do you not think we need something more insipirational surrounding us so we can have a little window to peep through for a little bit of day dreaming? Our world is so hard (concrete jungle) and harsh and the city of Singapore which looks more like a burial ground full of tombstones than a thriving green city is nothing more than a health hazard. There should be a government health warning saying living in Singapore can seriously harm your health particulary your mental health.

I agree with Bafana. And I also have the same analysis and reasoning as yours. It sounds too simple to believe, but it is just so simple. How complicated you wanna get.

For people who don't comprehend, try to live in a small box contained in a larger box, and see how you will feel after 2 days. If there is a dog besides you, you will vent your frustration by beating this dog. You can't see beyond the larger box and you get myopia.

Well for people who still don't comprehend, you must have been living in a box for too long. The disease is hard to cure.

What was he thinking???? Well to start off that he is a foreign worker, that he is in this country to earn a few dollars which when converted into his currency would be a good amount. Maybe he was thinking about his family back home who wait for this money to come home every month so that they can have food.

You do realise the fact that if he had retaliated, he would have been on the losing end. So, I don't blame him for not doing anything.

As for cultural and upbringing issues, its the same for every person - whether he be a terrorist, a revolutionary or a silent sufferer.

Over the eyars that I have lived in Singapore I have seen a lot of mistreatment of foreign workers - particulayr maids. This mistreatment being psycholgical and not physicl in nature (just as bad or worse maybe).

It seems to me that Singaporeans have a lot of pent up energy and no release for it and they turn on those they think they can get away with it on. This goes for white collar workers as well when sacrificial ang mos are used to take the blame or abuse from a client.

Once again thanks for the post.

What do you expect? Of course we have a lot of 'pent up' energy to release on someone who is weaker and poorer and shabbily dressed on our buses. Have you ever wondered why though? Let me tell you why!
We have no constructive role to play in our political system like the citizens of other countries. We are brainwashed and spoonfed right from the very moment we are born into believing that our nation state is the best in the world and we don't need to use our intellectual abilities to participate in anyway or form when it comes to decision making which can have global or domestic consequences. Our job as Singaporeans is to master every single printed word at school, college or if you are lucky enough to make it to the uni by rote......so we don't need to apply any common sense or thinking to what we are studying. Learing is not an objective only gaining a qualification on a piece of paper is all that counts.Add to all this the fact we have to be stuck in for the rest of our lives in high rise flats most commonly known as the HDBs. What do you think this brick and mortar does to people's state of minds? Do you not think we need something more insipirational surrounding us so we can have a little window to peep through for a little bit of day dreaming? Our world is so hard (concrete jungle) and harsh and the city of Singapore which looks more like a burial ground full of tombstones than a thriving green city is nothing more than a health hazard. There should be a government health warning saying living in Singapore can seriously harm your health particulary your mental health.

I agree with Bafana. And I also have the same analysis and reasoning as yours. It sounds too simple to believe, but it is just so simple. How complicated you wanna get.

For people who don't comprehend, try to live in a small box contained in a larger box, and see how you will feel after 2 days. If there is a dog besides you, you will vent your frustration by beating this dog. You can't see beyond the larger box and you get myopia.

Well for people who still don't comprehend, you must have been living in a box for too long. The disease is hard to cure.

Then may be all Singaporeans, should move to India, Mainland China, and Africa, and then think how lucky, they are to have a home at all! Whimpering about the government, and taking their frustrations out on foreign workers, is not a constructive way of dealing with mental problems!

I could highly recommend banging their heads against a brickwall, it may knock some sense into them! Dick heads you get in all walks of life, they will eventually pick on the wrong person, then what! cause and effect!

Some people like to run, some people like to fight, and some people like to die fighting, bullies normally have back up, so its better the guy didn't do anything!

But remember if they were to pick on the one, that is ready to die fighting, then his back up buddies, are really going to know, what a fight is about, and all that time in front of the TV watching kung fu dancing, and training in the local gym, will come home to the reality of life, there is always someone better. Ask Mike Tyson.

A little story i will tell, on one of my Christmases at home, I had enjoyed the New Years night with my brother, and was staggering home, when i decided to call into the last pub on my way.

Ordered my drink, with my head down, very tired when someone, bumped into me, and I said sorry mate, and he said you will be, So I said why, and the barman, said thats our bouncer, he's the hardestman in town. I started to laugh, pretty drunk and silly, i said he's not hard, this is hard, and i knocked on the bar top, with my knuckles!

Well you can imagine, he wasn't too impressed, with my reply, but i was only telling the trueth, anyway, he says outside, I said why! i'll show you how hard i am, okay if you must!

So i staggard out of the door and this huge frame, was upon me, bang, he drove his fist into my nose, and i said, well that wasn't hard at all! Not amused he tried again, and i side stepped, slipped my foot between his legs, and pushed him over.

I said your not hard, but you are a bully, and i think you have built your reputation picking on drunks, and I helped him up and said, I'm going inside now, to finish my drink, now if you want a fight, i would rather you wait till tomorrow, It is the New Year and off i strolled home.

I thought that would be the end of the matter, but i just couldn't sleep for days, and thought, i have to show this guy the difference, between soft, and hard, so with a baseball bat, i wondered into the bar, and said to the guy, now, do you want to learn, the difference between what is hard and what is soft!
No he didn't he said, he got the message, and I said, don't pick on people that are drunk, it will only get you a bad reputation, as a hard man, and i can prove, that this baseball bat, is much harder than you.

That was in my younger day of course, but i can honestly hold my hand up and say i have never ever, caused trouble in my life, but trouble as always found me, because I have always liked to go into places, where i shouldn't really go alone.

I eventually had a pet name in the Town where I lived, when i walked down the street, i could here the junkies say, look out psycho is coming.

It's not easy to be a lone foreigner in a country, without friends! I have been grateful for all my foreign contacts in my life, and prefer them , to many of my own countrymen, to be quite honest.